Excavations at the mountain top birthplace of the Greek god Zeus reveal the mountaintop's conical ash altar was used for sacrifices long before the Greeks began to worship their most powerful god.   What the altar was used for the thousand years before Zeus sacrifices began is the mystery archaeologists are trying to solve. 

They are hoping excavations will lead them to the origins of the god Zeus and the original reason why the site was a sacred site for 1,000 years before the worship of Zeus was brought to Greece.

The researchers have theorized that the mountaintop weather which is prone to rain, thunder, lightning and storm clouds gave birth to the god Zeus who is associated the storm elements. 

The two leading stories of the birth place of Zeus suggestedt both Crete and Mount Lykaion where the excavations of the altar are being conducted.

The most intriguing find at the altar site is a rock crystal seal with an image of a Minoan bull that was left by worshiper as a tribute to their god.

"Scholars say the artifact may indicate some kind of Crete-Arcadia connection related to early Zeus worship."

News Source: National Geographic